This is an interesting topic to me. We have held off on the new style cars waiting for the price to come down and the technology to improve. Lately though, I have been learning a little about the dual fuel(ok, thats an appliance term, not sure what the car one is) for diesel/bio fuel engines that can use diesel or used cooking oils. That seems an interesting idea-cept I really hate the way diesel smells-makes me ill. I was wondering what the cooking oils do (comparitively) to the environment?
One thing I wonder about the electric car-is how much electric juice will it suck up, and how will that affect my energy bill? I think it would be kind of impractical for me as I live a little too far from work to feel confident I could get both ways every day(abt.40 miles RT-and since I keep forgetting to plug in my cell phone-and run out of juice, this is obviously a concern:)
Shelly
Break Even Miles to pay off that new Hybrid vehicle
by Fatfreek 27 Replies latest social current
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JWdaughter
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Indo_Dude
The new diesels from VW, Mercedes, and Honda don't have that diesel smell anymore. In fact you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you took one for a test drive and no one told you it was diesel. I have driven a Lancia Diesel in Europe recently and I had no idea it was a diesel until I noticed it on the fuel cap.
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Awakened at Gilead
Does the IRS still give tax breaks if you buy a hybrid?
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sammielee24
2008 Model Year Hybrid Vehicles
Make
Model
Credit Amount
Chevrolet
Malibu Hybrid
$1,300
Chevrolet
Tahoe Hybrid 2WD and 4WD
$2,200
Ford
Escape Hybrid 2WD
$3,000
Ford
Escape Hybrid 4WD
$2,200
GMC
Yukon Hybrid
$2,200
Honda**
Civic CVT
Purchase Date
Prior to 1/1/08
$2,100
1/1/08 -- 6/30/08
$1,050
7/1/08 -- 12/31/08
$525
1/1/09 and later
$0
Mazda
Tribute 2WD
$3,000
Mazda
Tribute 4WD
$2,200
Mercury
Mariner Hybrid 2WD
$3,000
Mercury
Mariner Hybrid 4WD
$2,200
Nissan
Altima Hybrid
$2,350
Saturn
Aura hybrid
$1,300
Saturn
Vue Green Line
$1,550
Toyota*
Camry Hybrid
Purchase Date
1/1/06 -- 9/30/06
$2,600
10/1/06 --3/31/07
$1,300
4/1/07 -- 9/30/07
$ 650
10/1/2007 and later
$ 0
Toyota*
Prius
Purchase Date
1/1/06 -- 9/30/06
$3,150
10/1/06 --3/31/07
$1,575
4/1/07 -- 9/30/07
$787.50
10/1/2007 and later
$ 0
Toyota*
Highlander Hybrid 4WD
Purchase Date
1/1/06 -- 9/30/06
$2,600
10/1/06 --3/31/07
$1,300
4/1/07 -- 9/30/07
$ 650
10/1/2007 and later
$ 0
Lexus*
RX 400h 2WD and 4WD
Purchase Date
1/1/06 -- 9/30/06
$2,200
10/1/06 --3/31/07
$1,100
4/1/07 -- 9/30/07
$ 550
10/1/2007 and later
$ 0
Lexus*
LS 600h L Hybrid
Purchase Date
1/1/06 -- 9/30/06
$1,800
10/1/06 --3/31/07
$900
4/1/07 -- 9/30/07
$ 450
10/1/2007 and later
$ 0
updated 1/2/08
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John Doe
One thing I wonder about the electric car-is how much electric juice will it suck up, and how will that affect my energy bill? I think it would be kind of impractical for me as I live a little too far from work to feel confident I could get both ways every day(abt.40 miles RT-and since I keep forgetting to plug in my cell phone-and run out of juice, this is obviously a concern:)
I suspect electric technology is a lot more advanced than what you think.
I work at Home Depot on the weekends, and we use battery powered forklifts. They run all day on a single charge, have a lifting capacity of around 4,000 pounds, and weigh 10,000 pounds. If battery technology can power that equipment all day on a single charge, going 40 miles round trip is a non concern.
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sammielee24
I suspect electric technology is a lot more advanced than what you think.
Right now don't most of the hybrid batteries get around 100 - 125 miles per charge?
I'm all for energy efficiency but I don't think for a moment that electric will be the saviour - perhaps solar but not electric as we know it now, since once oil/gas level off, all the investors will simply switch to electricity in droves and the cost of electricity will rise thereby wiping out any gain. I recall the days when people were encouraged to switch to electric from oil for heating for the same reasons - except that electricity became so expensive a few years later that those same people couldn't afford to heat those homes.
The only way to eventually go will be solar powered conversion but that's many years away. In the meantime, I predict that you will see the oil out there that was once 'too hard to drill for' suddenly become easier to reach. sammieswife.
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John Doe
Hybrid cars and strictly electric cars are different animals. I don't think electric is the answer either, but range would not be the concern many people think. Electrics are a false positive in that a lot of pollution is required to produce the electricity that charges the batteries. Batteries are simply a storage device, not a producer of energy.
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JWdaughter
I thought that electric would have many of the issues brought up-obviously electricity is derived from sources beyond 'thin air':)
The fuel efficiency of diesel offset against the increased cost don't seem to add up to much of a bargain in my eyes-though being able to use re-used oils seems to be intriguing---around here, a pizza joint has had their cooking fuel stolen! Apparently that is the latest thing to steal-so, obviously it will lose its cheap factor real soon! Wondering about the pollution factor though--and of course, if they did that regularly (with new 'cooking' oils, then we have more of the issues everyone is griping about with the food land being taken over to grow fuel crops.
I like the old fashioned idea of living and working in the same neighborhood. Or the trains in NYC. Or being an independently wealthy, stay at home hermit (my personal preference).
If our nation was a lot smaller and less 'spread out' then gas would not be such a critical issue. And if certain people weren't so freaked out about using public transportation. And if we had much BETTER public transportation. (There is none between my house and my job-unless I leave at 5 am and make about 3 transfers, backtracking abt. 10 miles)